A new marketplace, Sparetap, is enabling London restaurants to stock fresh beer from independent breweries with just a single invoice.
Sparetap says it is five times cheaper for breweries than a wholesaler. Bars and restaurants can find out how much their taps are worth to independent breweries when they fill out a short form and get pitches via the secure platform. The site has free, industry-first tools to menu match beers. Those new to craft can sort by intensity and quickly find sessionable beers, says the company.
Founder, Dom Thorpe, quit his job as brewery manager to start Sparetap after calls from frustrated restaurants who couldn’t buy through a wholesaler.
Dom said: “Beer should be as important to restaurants as wine. Popular breweries in London can outsell mass-produced brands at multiples to one.
“Small, independent breweries are creating some of the UK’s best beers, yet most hospitality businesses don’t have access to them. Through tight-knit relationships with large UK wholesalers, mega-breweries exert incredible power over the choice of beer across the UK.”
Sparetap aims to solve this problem, making it easy for bars and restaurants to stock craft beer from independent breweries with all the benefits of a wholesaler. Accounts are free. B, and bar and restaurant groups can even manage multiple sites with a single invoice.
Passion for quality
Sparetap picks breweries carefully. Breweries that triple filter and pasteurise, both techniques of mass-produced beers, aren’t eligible. Breweries must show a passion for quality, use premium ingredients and have a dedication to consistency.
Users can order new beers in seconds. Sparetap handles the payment, and breweries deliver beer when the restaurant wants it.
Dom added: “The irony is these breweries spend millions on processes to extend shelf life. Then create an unforgivable carbon footprint as the beer is transported via various depots, often taking months to hit the bar before it’s served.
“Whilst craft breweries down the road can offer bars and restaurants fresh beer, within days of packaging, packed with flavour, without any shortcuts in the brewing.”
Rather than using a catalogue, the Sparetap marketplace is an industry-first visual experience that allows users to discover the story behind every beer and the people that brewed it.
Printable knowledge sheets will be available to download for free, with tips on how to store, sell and serve each beer written by the experts that brewed them.
Sparetap has also launched a free marketplace for the professional brewing industry, Brewbase.co — a site for brewing professionals to list equipment, share resources and swap ideas.
Dom said: “The big vision for Sparetap is to create choice with an independent craft beer in every restaurant and bar in the UK. All you need to take part is one spare tap.”
